Happenings from the fashion world in 2013

New trends are made every year. Some fade, while others stay. Several events happen for the first time, and those who excel in their field are duly rewarded. Of course, there are blunders too. In the fashion world, this year, they ranged from dressing faux pas to racial attacks. We take a closer look at what made news in 2013.

Such mooch They’ve always been considered old school, but moustaches were sported by men (and even women) with much enthusiasm this year. Cricketer Shikhar Dhawan’s well-groomed mooch became such a talking point that even teammate Ravindra Jadeja followed suit.

Even Ranveer Singh had one in Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, and he was so fond of it that it was upsetting for him to shave it off. Such was its popularity that during Movember, even corporates, who are usually clean-shaven, decided to sprout moustaches. Thankfully, the women only sported it in the form of hordes of trinkets, accessories and clothes. Moustaches also found their way on stationery, home decor and pretty much any other product you can think of.

Age no barThe fashion industry is usually quick to brush off older models as ‘past their prime’ and newbie-yet-wildly-successful designers as ‘flash in the pan’. Both stereotypes were defied this year. Veteran model Noyonika Chatterjee completed an impressive 25 years as a model. She may have slowed down after giving birth to her daughter (now 10 years old), but when she does hit the ramp, she owns it. Meanwhile, 24-year-old Masaba Gupta was handed a task that few would give to anyone with her limited experience in the industry. But as the fashion director of Satya Paul, the young designer has already put out an impressive initial set of designs and looks set to carry on strong.

Racist attacksA victory that should have been celebrated was marred by a racial row. In September, Nina Davuluri became the first Indian-American woman to win the Miss America pageant. Sadly, the racial abuse directed towards the 24-year-old started only minutes later, with several nasty comments on social media platforms. Davuluri remained poised through the barrage, and even went on to initiate a campaign to encourage constructive and civil dialogue on diversity issues. She plans to use her $50,000 prize from the pageant to attend medical school.

Brides in whiteNo longer is it a colour only sported by Catholic brides. Of late, several young women have included shades of white and off-white not only in their trousseau, but also worn them on their big day. Red may be the colour that most brides favour, but the likes of Shehla Khan, Tarun Tahiliani, Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla, Varun Bahl, Rohit Bal and Gaurav Gupta, among others, advocated shades of white, cream and beige in their latest bridal collections.

No Cannes doThere was much excitement when Vidya Balan was invited to be part of the jury at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. It meant several appearances on a global platform and, of course, a keen eye on what she’d wear every day at the event. Sadly, the actor failed to impress. The blame was squarely placed on the shoulders of designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee, whose creations she wore exclusively throughout the event. In an interview to us, he defended himself, saying that the backlash was expected and that Vidya, being a ‘simpleton’, didn’t want to experiment much.

Foray into bridal coutureMaverick designer Manish Arora has been in the news for a wildly successful jewellery collection in 2013, but the year also marked his foray into bridal couture with the launch of his Indian by Manish Arora stores. He had his debut show for the same at a fashion week in Delhi, where the discerning crowd approved of his pop colours and psychedelic prints – certainly not for the faint-hearted bride.

Home-comingAt the age of 19, Mumbai-born Naeem Khan left for the US to study and eventually settled down there. Over three decades later, he made a long-awaited return to the city with his first-ever fashion show here. It wasn’t a brand new collection — Naeem showed modified versions of outfits he had displayed at previous shows — but it won him rave reviews and plenty of accolades either way. The designer admitted that he was interested in checking out the latest embroidery and fabrics in Mumbai, but he’d save that for a later trip.

Top honourFor over 40 years of work in the fashion industry and her role in textile and craft revival, veteran designer Ritu Kumar was conferred the Padma Shri this year. Kumar hopes that the award will encourage her contemporaries and even younger designers to take the business of saving indigenous weaving and embroidery seriously. She dedicated her honour to the country’s artisans and craftspersons — millions of them — for upholding textile traditions and reviving ancient techniques.

Mass appealSeveral designers collaborated with local and high-street brands to create capsule collections at pocket-friendly prices. Krishna Mehta for Westside, Rohit Bal for Biba and Manish Arora for Amrapali have been popular with the masses. New website stylista.com got everyone from Wendell Rodricks and Nishka Lulla to Yogesh Chaudhary and Priyadarshini Rao to create special lines from them, with every item priced below `5,000.

Hats offWhen the first teaser of Dhoom:3 released, with Aamir Khan noticeably sporting a hat, it sparked off renewed interest in a trend that the likes of Farhan Akhtar and Ranveer Singh had already been following. To promote the film, Aamir continued wearing a bowler hat at every appearance. The icing on the cake was his friend, Salman Khan, wearing a similar style on his reality show. We say, pick one that suits you and just go for it while it’s still a rage.